1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a portable confinement device for confining a person upon a mattress. The device is useful for taking care of children and adults who need to be kept from wandering away from their sleeping or resting areas.
2. Background of the Art
The need for the confinement of a person may result from some form of mental or physical ailment that makes it necessary for a caregiver to be assured of the person's whereabouts at sleep or resting times. Over the years, many schemes have been devised to confine a child or an adult to their sleeping or resting areas, without the use of straps or other body attachments. Unlike camping or play tents or beds (see for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,472,436 B1, 7,174,584 B2, 7,100,221 B1, 6,952,844 B2, 6,728,981 B1, 6,220,264 B1, 6,192,909 B1, 5,449,014, 4,852,598, 4,531,330, 4,237,914, and 3,578,003, U.S. Publication Nos. 2008/0216881 A1 and 2006/0266399 A1, and U.K. Pat. No. 444,761), a confinement device has to be capable of keeping the person inside the device until the caregiver determines it is safe for the person to leave it. Among the many examples of prior art confinement devices are those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,434,280 B2, 7,383,849 B2, 7,062,806 B2, 7,047,991 B2, 6,772,458 B2, 6,687,930 B1, 6,487,735 B1, 6,263,529 B1, 6,216,291 B1, 5,784,732, 5,384,925, and 4,641,387, and U.S. Publication No. 2007/0294827 A1. Many of these devices, like those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,383,849 and 6,487,735 B1 and U.S. Publication No. 2007/029487, are expensive and very heavily constructed for hospital or institutional use, and are often fitted with wheels or casters for conveyance from one location to another. Others, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,434,280 B2, are very bulky, take a large amount of effort to assemble, and are difficult to transport from one location to another.
Thus, although this art field is very crowded, there are still some needs which, up until now, have gone unsatisfied. What is needed is an inexpensive, stable, lightweight confinement device which is readily portable and easily assembled.